The Way They Were
by BlackBaby
Summary: Nobody ever said high school would be easy. For the students of Centerscore High School, this is all too true. Everyday of their lives is just another day of having to watch their backs, and deal with the issues that no teens should have to worry about. These teens will never again go back to the way they were. Rated T for dark adult situations, content, and language. Please R&R!
1. Some things never change

Sam and Colt

Colt Warren stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom, putting on a tie. He never did like ties, so he rarely wore them. They always made him feel like he was choking. He struggled to fix it and after a few angry minutes of trying, groaned in frustration and kicked his door. He bit his lip to subside the pain and tried again. Colt could just barely remember the last time he wore a tie. It was to his middle school graduation? It seemed fuzzy, but he did remember his dad showing him a way to remember how to put a tie on. One of the few times his dad was actually there for him. Colt shook his head and finally fixed the tie, using his pneumonic device. He studied his reflection in the mirror. He looked tired, which made sense. He hadn't slept in days. His eyebrow ring glinted in the sunlight coming through the window. Colt rubbed his hands over his face and leaned over his dresser, knocking everything out of the way. _Get it together, Colt. It's just a funeral. You've been to those before, just not the funeral of your girlfriend's dad. Just be cool. _

Colt was heading out the door when his sister Maddie came running to him and latched onto his leg. "Where are you going, Colt?"

He tried to shake Maddie off his leg, but it was a lost cause. Colt bent down and put his hand on his shoulder. "Maddie, remember when you met Sammy?"

Maddie smiled. "Yeah, she was funny. She did good impressions of you."

Colt cracked a smile. "Yeah well, her dad died."

Maddie's lip trembled. "Oh no, that's terrible."

Colt nodded. "Yeah exactly, that's why I'm going to be with her and help her feel better."

Maddie thought for a minute. "Okay, I guess that makes sense. I love you, Colt." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Colt hugged her back, tight. "Love you too, Maddie. I'll be back soon." With that he stood up and left for the funeral.

Sam Davis stood underneath a large tent in the hot sun, fanning herself with her hand. Her friends and family milled around sadly, all wearing black. Almost everyone had come up to her to give their condolences or give her a hug or say they were sorry for her loss in the past hour, and she was getting sick of hearing it. She just wanted to go home, sit in her air conditioned room, and blast music to drown out her mom crying. Sam squinted in the sunlight, trying to make out who had arrived in the past few minutes. She could definitely see people from her school. Taylor, Jessica, Nicole, Maria, and Jill stood in a huddle, talking quietly. Amanda, Hector, and Howard sat in some metal chairs, and Zoe stood with her parents and some other relatives. Sam thought about going over to her friends and engaging them, but decided not to. It would be too much to stand there, making small talk when inside she wanted to die. Faintly, Sam heard the roar of a motorcycle engine, which filled her with relief. Colt. Sure enough, she was right. Colt's motorcycle came to a halt across the street from the tent. He got off his motorcycle and made his way to the tent. She could see him scanning the crowd for Sam, and when his eyes locked on hers, he smiled and walked over to her.

When Colt finally reached Sam, they hugged each other tightly and he kissed her on the cheek. They broke apart and Sam led Colt to some chairs where they sat down.

"How're you doing, Sam?" Colt studied Sam's face for any sign of, well, anything. Sam had this blank expression, like a poker face.

"I'm great. Everyone's been doing really great." Sam bit her lip and looked down, nodding slightly as if to reassure herself that it was true.

"Sammy, I don't know if that's what you've been telling everyone, but I can tell it's not true. Everything's not great. You can talk to me, you know that." Colt lifted her chin so she was looking directly into his eyes, and he could see it written on her face. She was an utter mess.

Sam sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She looked back into Colt's eyes and she knew that he was trying. He wanted to help. "I feel like shit, okay? I feel like the shittiest shit ever. My mom doesn't talk to me anymore, she hasn't talked to me in months since Zoe moved back in with her parents. Everyone thinks they know what I'm going through and they don't. They have no idea. I hate when people try to relate to me because no one can. It's bullshit, and I have to go up on the stage and read a speech that I didn't write about my dad, and I have to act like I mean it and that I'm not cracking up." Sam took a breath and let it out. Colt bit his lip and just nodded. Sam swallowed. "I just wonder sometimes why it has to be me."

Colt put his arm around Sam. "Things happen for a reason, Sammy. I know it seems bad, but it will get better."

Sam nodded slightly and they sat there for a few moments, until Sam stood up abruptly. She quickly wiped at her eyes and cleared her throat. "I have to um- I have to go sit with my family. I'll see you later." She walked off.

Colt stared at her for a minute before he blinked quickly and went to find people that he knew.


	2. Regrets and Not

Hector and Amanda

Hector leaned back in his seat and glanced over at the empty chair on his right. Amanda had been gone for over 10 minutes, and he couldn't help but start to worry. The funeral would start any minute, and he didn't want to have to look for her. Thankfully, Amanda sat down next to him a few minutes later and sighed. She was sweaty and out of breath. Hector leaned over again and whispered to her. "Where were you?"

"Bathroom," She whispered back.

Hector sniffed the air around Amanda's face. "Why does your breath smell like vomit?"

Amanda scoffed. "You're delusional, Hector."

Hector bit his lip and put his hands in his pockets. He turned away from Amanda slightly, just enough that she thought he wouldn't notice her popping two breath mints into her mouth.

Amanda deeply regretted what she had done. It was a moment of weakness, it's not like she did it all the time. She hadn't been feeling well all day, her head was pounding and she felt nauseous. When she had gone to the bathroom, it had seemed so easy. You can't feel nauseous anymore if there's nothing left to puke, right?

Amanda swallowed the breath mints in her mouth and grinded her teeth together. It was an old habit that she couldn't seem to break. After years of dentistry with no avail, Amanda's dentist gave up and accepted the fact that she would have fucked up teeth for life. Mostly everyone was seated in the metal chairs by now, since the priest was already on stage and would begin to speak any second. Amanda sat with Hector on her left and Colt on her right in the isle. She crossed her legs one way and then the other. She placed her purse on the ground by her feet, then on her lap, then by her feet again. The priest began to speak about how they were gathered here today to mourn the loss of Sam's dad, but Amanda was too fidgety to pay much attention. She held her hair over one shoulder, and then the other, finally letting it fall back. Hector elbowed her in the side and whispered, "Stop fidgeting so much."

"Don't tell me what to do, Hector," Amanda whispered back fiercely.

Someone in the row in front of them turned around and gave them a dirty look, which Amanda returned before she looked down at her raggedy cuticles for the rest of the ceremony.


	3. Raise your glass and Chug

_2 months later; The party _

2 months had passed since Sam's dad's funeral. She was recovering well enough, and seemed to be moving on. It was February, not the beginning of the school year and not the end. The perfect time to throw the wildest Centerscore parties. The cheerleaders sat at the Center Table during lunch. Colt sat next to Sam, even though he usually ate lunch outside, he had been staying with her as much as he could since her father's death. Taylor pushed aside her yogurt and cleared her throat. The cheerleaders looked up from their chatter to hear what she had to say. "So, of course all of us are going to Hector's party on Saturday, right?"

The cheerleaders and football players nodded in agreement. Hector's parties were always the best, and missing one would be like missing a month of school.

Taylor smiled. "That's great. My cousin Chelsea is coming in from NYU to visit me for the weekend, and she's bringing her friends from her sorority. I convinced her to check out Hector's party." An excited murmur spread throughout the table.

"She refused at first," Taylor continued. " She said that no lame high school party could compare to the monster bashes that her sorority throws. She told me that she didn't get her nickname, 'Chugs', for nothing. I told her that it would be worth it, so Hector," Taylor turned to face Hector, who sat at the end of the table. All eyes were on him. "Don't fuck it up, kay? I'll never live it down if Chugs thinks your party is lame." Taylor resumed eating, not even bothering to look up as the Center Table exploded in chatter.

Hector and Howard got up to throw their trays away. Hector grinned. "Can't believe that sorority chicks are actually coming to my party. _My _party. You believe that, Howard?"

Howard smiled and shook his head. "It's surreal, man."

Hector continued to talk excitedly. "I can't wait to get a good look at these babes. Wonder if this Chugs girl is a party animal."

Howard frowned. "Chill dude, you've got a girlfriend. Remember Amanda?"

Hector shook Howard off. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it. Let's just see how hot this Chugs is, alright? Then we'll do the decision making." Hector winked as they sat back down at the table.

Jessica and Maria were just as excited as Hector for the sorority girls. Jessica popped an almond in her mouth. "This is totes amazing Maria, if these sorority chicks like us, we're in."

Maria looked confused. "But wouldn't we have to go to college at NYU to get into their sorority?"

Jessica grinned. "If I can get connections, you better believe that I'll be on the first plane to New York City, doll."

Sam took a swig from her water bottle and screwed the cap on tight. She put it away in her bag and took out the book she had been reading. It was called _Tiger Eyes_, and she was really into it. The pages were dog-eared and bent. Sam became so engrossed in reading, she didn't realize that Colt was talking to her until he tapped her on the shoulder. Sam looked up and saw Colt sitting next to her, staring at her. "What?"

"I was just saying that this party sounds like it's gonna be cool, we should check it out."

Sam shook her head. "I don't think I'm up to it. I'd rather just stay home. You can go." She looked back down at her book and continued to read.

Colt sighed and picked up his chocolate milk carton. _God dammit, why do they make these things so hard to open?_

__ Amanda rested her head on the table, drowning out the sounds of chatter from all around her. Hector's wild party sounded like the last thing she wanted to do. There were much bigger things on her mind, like her little issue. It had come back to haunt her again, only 2 weeks after it had made its debut. Only this time, what worried Amanda is how little regret she felt towards it. She had just gone out to eat with Hector, and she had eaten much more than she should have. She had felt bloated and disgusting and gross. Amanda had excused herself to go to the restroom, and had let it out there. It had been painless and afterwards, she felt almost…happy. She swallowed her breathmints and joined Hector again, acting as if it never happened.

She had binged again. Today during lunch. Amanda hadn't meant for it to happen, but it did. She had eaten as much as she could, and she could already feel her stomach gurgling. For now she would try to hold out, but if worst came to worst…

"Hey Chugs," Ben Miller called out from across the quad. He jogged toward Chugs, who as usual, held a metal water bottle in her hand. He finally reached her and spun her around with one of his strong, muscular arms, while she giggled. He grabbed the water bottle and took a long sip. When he finished, he handed it back to her and panted. "Damn Chugs, where do you get the booze?"

"You don't need to know, doll." Chugs cracked a smile and twirled her pin straight chestnut hair around her index finger.

"So you up for a party this Saturday? You know we throw the best." Ben grinned.

Chugs shook her head. "Nah, can't. I'm taking some of the Pi Phi sisters down to California for the weekend. My cousin's friend is throwing a party and I said we'd check it out."

Ben made a face. "A _high school _party? Come on, Chugs, you can't be serious." He crossed his arms.

Chugs shrugged. "I don't know, she said some of those parties can get pretty intense. And if it doesn't live up to my expectations..." Chugs grinned. "Let's just say I have a few ways to make it a little more _interesting. _


	4. The Party Part 1

Issues 

Amanda felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She waited until it stopped, but it didn't. _Must be a call, god who's calling me?_ She stretched out from her comfortable position on Hector's basement couch, and slid her iPhone out of her pocket. She sighed when she saw who was calling. She reluctantly pressed SEND and put the phone next to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Amanda, how goes it?"

"Fine Jason, thanks."

"So I was thinking-"

"Were you now? That's new." Amanda rolled her eyes. She heard a chuckle from the other end.

"I was thinking that we could get together sometime. Sometime soon. I miss you."

"Jason, we can't. I have a life now. I have friends, I'm a cheerleader, I have a boyfriend, I can't go back to the way things were before. I'm sorry." Amanda hung up before he could respond. She felt bad about hanging up on Jason, but she couldn't risk anyone finding out about the way she was. Things were different here, _she_ was different here. She couldn't let herself go back. For one brief moment, Amanda allowed herself to be drowned in the memory.

_Summer of 2009. A summer when 14 year old girls are supposed to be going to the beach, the mall, and the park with friends. Having small summer flings and seeing stupid movies. Playing sports and having fun. 14 year old Amanda is with her boyfriend, Jason Alverez, and nothing they're doing is good._

"_Jason, I don't know."_

"_Come on, Amanda, don't chicken out now. You can do this."_

"_Okay, I guess." Little Amanda is clutching a can of spray paint in her hand. She quickly looks around until Jason lightly pushes her towards the house. It's a pretty little pink house, with white shutters. Not the kind of house you'd expect your rival gang members to take refugee in. But that's kind of the point. Amanda stumbled for a second but crouched down and crawled to the house. There, she quickly spray paints_** '**GREYHOUNDS 4EVER' _across the door. Amanda drops the can and runs back to where Jason is hiding. He pats her on the back, and as they walk back to his car, he mutters, "That'll teach those sorry Pitbulls who's the boss." _

Amanda blinks hard and floats back from her memory. She shudders slightly when she recalls the awful things she and Jason did that summer. She hears footsteps thudding and she quickly hides her phone under a couch pillow. Hector appears at the bottom of the steps holding a big speaker. He sets it down and hops onto the couch next to Amanda. "You excited, babe?"

Amanda nods and smiles slightly. She knew Hector's party would be fun, they always were. But now with her ex-boyfriend back in touch with her, and her Little Issue, which had appeared again on Wednesday, she had a lot more to worry about than what she was going to wear.

Sam loved her snuggie. It was the softest thing ever, she used it so much it was like a part of her. On this particular Saturday night, while the rest of Centerscore, including her boyfriend Colt, were getting ready for the ultimate party featuring hot sorority chicks, Sam sat on her bed in her snuggie, finishing _Tiger Eyes_. She closed the book on her index finger as she heard knocking at the door. Sam jumped out of bed and ran to get the door. She swung it open and found Colt standing on her doorstep. He wore Diesel jeans, the ones Sam had given him for his birthday last year, and his leather jacket. He held two motorcycle helmets under his arms, and he was grinning like a maniac. "Ready, Sammy?"

Sam groaned. "I don't want to go."

Colt pulled lightly on her arm. "Come on, please. Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty please!"

Sam tried to pull herself back inside, but it was a lost cause. Colt was twice as strong as her. "Ugh, fine. But I have to get ready. Give me 10 minutes." Sam ran into the house and up the stairs. 10 minutes later, she emerged, party ready. Colt led her to his motorcycle. "Your chariot, my lady." He winked. Sam couldn't help but smile at his attempted cheesiness. She hopped on the back and wrapped her arms around his waist. They rode off into the night.

"Chugs, where the fuck are we? This looks like a ghost town or something." Adriana, one of Chugs' sorority sisters, pressed her face against the passenger seat window.

"It's Centerscore, the town of boring. I've been here before and I wanted to kill myself. Let's hope their parties don't turn out as boring as their town." Chugs turned onto a dark street lit up with streetlights. 4 of her sorority sisters, plus Adriana, were squished into a car they had rented for the weekend. Chug's dialed Taylor's number into her phone while keeping an eye on the road. It rang for a minute and Taylor picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey cuz, it's me. We're on our way to your friend's party, what's the address again?"

"It's 1800 Ferry Road,"

"Thanks, we'll be there in like 2 minutes. This party better be live when we get there." Chugs hung up. A few minutes later, they pulled into Hector's driveway. Dozens of cars were already parked throughout the street and driveway, and loud music was pumping from inside the house. The 6 girls got out stretched their legs. They were all decked out like major sluts, tight trashy mini dresses, tons of makeup, stilettos, the works. After all, they had to make an impression. A few kids were hanging out outside on Hector's porch while the girls walked up to the door. They whispered to each other and looked at the girls. Chugs smiled to herself. Obviously word had gotten out that she would be making an appearance. They stepped onto the porch and Chugs kicked the door in, so it swung open. The party was in full swing. Kids were grinding against each other, all holding red plastic cups in their hands. Chugs strutted inside, followed by her sisters. She plucked a red cup out of a blonde girl's hand. "Hey!" She screeched. Chugs ignored her and did what she did best, chugged down the whole cup without blinking. She wiped her mouth and burped into her hand, dropping the empty cup onto the floor. Her sisters were also finding their own drinks and laughing at the blonde girl who was now pouting. Chugs motioned for them to follow her deeper into the party. It was time to make things interesting.

Hector and Howard stood next to the dance floor, drinking from their cups. They observed the party, clearly searching for Chugs and her sorority sisters. Taylor had described what Chugs looked like, but it was a pretty vague description. Suddenly, Howard slapped Hector lightly on the shoulder and pointed to some girls. Hector turned his head as if in slow motion, and saw 6 girls. He knew right away that they were the sorority girls. Hector dragged Howard over to where they were half dancing, half drinking and shouted over the music. "Hey ladies, welcome to the party. I take it you're Chugs?"

Chugs laughed out loud. "It sounds funny when high school kids say it. But yeah, that's my name, don't wear it out." The other sorority girls laughed hysterically. Hector smiled and nodded towards the other girls. "How about you introduce your friends?"

Chugs looked confused for a minute, and then smiled. "Ohh, these friends! For a sec I didn't know what you meant." She laughed again. "This is Adriana, Nicolette, Allison, Cassidy, and Kayla." Hector smiled again. "Well, enjoy the party girls." He walked away. Chugs grinned at Hector until he was gone, and then turned to her friends. "This shithole is so lame I'm about to die of boredom."

Allison put her hands on her hips. "Well let's make it interesting, Chugs! You said you had something fun for us to do!"

"Yeah Chugs, you said we could do something fun if the party was shit," Nicolette pouted.

Chugs held up her hands. "Girls, girls, relax. Let's mingle for a little longer, and if worse comes to worst…" Chugs grinned and reached into her pocket. She felt the small bag that had been there since before they had left NYU. "I know how we can get this party started."ectorJ


	5. The Party Part 2

Colt parked his motorcycle, and hopped off it. Sam slid off the back, and they both hung their helmets on the handles. "Ready, Sammy?" Colt draped his arm around her shoulders. Sam nodded. "I guess."

Colt frowned. "What's wrong? You love to party, Sam."

Sam bit her lip. "I know, but it feels, weird this time."

Colt sighed. "Do you want to leave? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have dragged you here…"

Sam quickly shook her head. "No I just…forget it." She smiled.

Colt grinned. "That's my girl." He led her up the driveway to Hector's house and flung the door open. Loud dance music thumped throughout the house, and things were crazy. Colt squeezed Sam's shoulder and shouted in her ear, "I'm gonna go get a topper. Stay here?"

Sam nodded. As Colt vanished into the large crowd, Sam checked the time on her phone. 9:34. It was going to be a long night.

Amanda lay on a lawn chair, watching the stars. It wasn't a cold night, it never got cold in Centerscore, even in February, but she didn't feel warm. All around her, people were dancing and laughing and having fun, but she didn't feel the slightest bit happy. She had turned her phone's volume to silent right after Jason called, to avoid speaking to him again. He had called another 2 times and left a voicemail, but then he had given up. She felt sick even thinking about Jason somehow finding her. Or Jason stalking her. Or Jason finding her friends. Or Jason finding her family. Amanda's stomach churned at the thought. She couldn't think like that. Jason would never do something like that. Amanda felt a hand on her shoulder and she screamed. Some people who were partying outside looked at her like she was crazy. Amanda looked up and saw a girl resting her hand on Amanda's shoulder and talking to some guy. The girl looked beyond drunk already, and she probably didn't realize that she was even touching a person. Amanda swung her legs over the other side of her chair and abruptly stood, causing the girl to stumble and spill her drink on the ground. Amanda looked at the girl in disgust. She put her hands on her hips as the girl stood up and faced Amanda. Looking into this girl's eyes, she could see that not only was she drunk beyond reason, she was stoned as well. Her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was even running, a clear sign that she'd been snorting something too.

"Hey, fire head, maybe you should like, watch where you're going. You made me spill my whole cup down there," The girl gestured to the contents of her now empty cup. "Now I have to go back inside the sweaty house and get another cup." The girl moved a step closer to Amanda. She towered over Amanda by at least 5 inches, and Amanda felt a pang of fright. "And isn't it past your bedtime little red?"

Amanda's jaw dropped at this girl's bitchiness. No high school kids would talk to her like that. Everyone at Centerscore knew not to mess with her, unless the wanted to be banned from Hector's parties. This could only mean one thing.

"Are you Chugs?"

The girl snorted. "What's it to you?"

Amanda shrugged. "Are you?"

"Adriana. Like I said, what's it to you? Never seen a college kid before, shorty?" She lightly pushed Amanda backwards. "Now I'm gonna go get another drink. Maybe you should go find your mom or something, I hear these parties can get "pretty intense" or some shit like that." Adriana winked and walked away from Amanda. A small crowd had formed to watch the confrontation, and now Amanda felt on the verge of tears. She didn't need this. She didn't need shit from anyone. She had too much crap going on in her life to worry about some annoying college bitch ruining her night. She would find this "Adriana" girl, along with Chugs and her other sisters, and she would make sure they didn't bother her again.

Taylor was on the dance floor, grinding on some guy that she didn't know. Well maybe she did, but at these parties is got hard to tell. She still hadn't seen Chugs or her sisters, and she hadn't heard from them in over an hour when they called her. Taylor looked up and noticed a sweaty girl fall into the arms of some guy, who fist pumped his buddies. Taylor rolled her eyes and continued to dance. Sometimes she couldn't believe the people she went to school with. Taylor was not the kind of girl who got insanely drunk at these things. She had only had about 2 beers, and while her vision was a little cloudy, she was basically okay to drive. After all, she couldn't risk doing something embarrassing at a party while she was wasted and having it blow up in her face. She did have a reputation to uphold. A little bit of her drink sloshed over the rim of her cup, so Taylor decided to get more. She unwrapped the sweaty guys arms from around her waist and walked off the dance floor. Just as she was about to refill her cup, a girl crashed into her. Taylor stumbled but kept her balance and didn't fall. Taylor was all set to curse this drunk bitch out, but when she stood upright Taylor saw none other than,

"Chugs?"

Chugs refocused her eyes on Taylor and a grin lit up her face. "Tay!"

The two cousins hugged and broke apart quickly. "Tay, I've been looking everywhere for you. We've got a bong going upstairs, some guys watching it for us. Hector something…?" Chugs downed the remainder of her cup and set it on a table.

Taylor shook her head. "I don't think I'm up to it"

"Come on, cuz! Don't be such a baby." Chugs pushed her lightly on the shoulder.

Taylor shrugged. "Maybe."

Chugs laughed. "Okay, little miss "maybe", I'll catch you later." She unsteadily walked off.

Taylor stood there for a minute, clutching her red plastic cup that she never refilled, and pushed past her classmates to get to the stairs.


	6. The Party Part III

Sam had been standing against the wall for 15 minutes waiting for Colt. It was obvious that he wasn't returning for a while, so Sam thought that she may as well have a little fun. She ditched the waiting spot and went to pour herself a drink. As the remainder of the vodka trickled out of the bottle and into her red plastic cup, a memory surfaced.

"_Sammy, don't touch this." Sam's father lightly slapped her tiny fingers away from the shot he had poured himself. She pulled back her hand and whimpered. "Please daddy, please let me try the cool drink!" _

_Her father rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Okay, but just a tiny sip." He handed her the shot glass and Sam eagerly sipped it. She instantly recoiled in disgust and spit it out. "Ew, gross! I'm never drinking that stuff again!"_

Sam blinked hard. Where was she? Oh yeah, Hector's party. She killed the rest of the vodka and brought her cup outside. People were dancing around the pool and the backyard was lit up with lanterns. Sam glanced around, her eyes sweeping the crowd for Colt. She didn't find Colt, but Sam's eyes did find an extremely attractive guy looking just as awkward as her, standing on the other side of the pool. His eyes locked with hers and he made his way over to her.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to stare?" The guy brushed his black bangs out of his eyes and smirked.

Sam rolled her eyes, and grinned. "Sorry. I guess no one ever bothered to teach me manners." Why was she being so flirtatious with this guy she hardly knew? Colt was her boyfriend, awesome, sweet, hot, Colt. Who had ditched her. Sam stared into this guy's green eyes.

"What's your name?"

"Sam. How about you?"

"Jason. Jason Alverez."

Taylor stumbled down the stairs, catching her balance on the banister. The room vibrated and felt brighter and colorful. What a rush. She had found Hector in his room with a few of Chugs' sisters. All the girls looked high, but Hector didn't look the slightest bit under the influence. He just looked happy to be surrounded by girls. After some convincing, Taylor had reluctantly sat down and shared the rest of the bong with the girls. Now she felt amazing, like she was in the sun. She walked through the party, feeling like she was teetering on a tightrope. A hand touched her shoulder and she spun around in what felt like slow motion. Jessica stood there smiling. "Hey Taylor, wanna go play truth or dare?"

Taylor tried to answer but her tongue felt like heavy moss. She just nodded, and Jessica grabbed her hand and led her into a room.

Amanda stalked into the house, feeling a little unsteady on her feet. She was pretty sure Hector hadn't installed a Lazy Susan, so the spinning wasn't a good sign. The heat of the house felt suffocating. Suddenly big, strong arms wrapped around Amanda's waist. She gasped and turned around, only to find He Hector moving back holding his hands up. "Whoa, what's up?"

Amanda closed her eyes for a second, catching her breath. "Nothing, I just, I just-"

"You just what?"

"I-" Amanda put a hand on her head, closed her eyes, and went limp, hitting the floor with a thud.


	7. Dawn of a New Day

Hector sat in the ER waiting room, tapping his foot nervously and fidgeting his hands. His close friends sat around him. He checked his phone again. 10:06. Amanda's parents had said they would be here by 10. Where the hell were they?

Howard put his hand on Hector's shoulder. "Relax, man."

"How can I relax? They have Amanda in there, and I don't even know if she's okay or not!"

"Hector, I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I know but what if-"

Hector was interrupted that moment as a doctor came into the waiting room. She looked around at all the teenagers and realized she must be in the right place. Hector ran up to her. "How's Amanda? Is she okay?"

The doctor nodded. "She'll be fine. She's suffered a mild concussion from her fall, but it looks like her faint was caused by lack of nutrient. She has almost no food in her body and her teeth are decaying, so it's likely she's vomited between 6 and 7 times in the last week."

Hector's jaw dropped. "But she'll be okay?"

"Yes, eventually. You can see her now, one at a time. Room 104."

Hector ran past the doctor and down the hall until he reached room 104. The door was slightly ajar, so he pushed it open and went inside. Amanda lay in bed, hooked up to a breathing machine. She had an IV hooked into the crook of her elbow and she looked a sickly green. He rushed up to her and she looked up. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked tired. "Hey Manda Panda, how are you?"

"Better."

He sat down next to her. "So what's the deal?"

Amanda frowned. "I fainted. I'm fine. It was hot in there and I was overwhelmed. It happens."

Hector bit his lip. He didn't know how to bring it up without angering Amanda. "But the doctor said you—"

"I don't care what the doctor said, Hector. I know my own body. I'm fine." She gave him a tight smile which looked more like a grimace and looked away.

Hector sighed. "Amanda, I really care about you. A lot. More than anyone or anything else. That's why I'm always here for you. If there's something going on in your life that you need help with, I want to help you."

Amanda stayed silent for a minute, as if contemplating what to say. She finally spoke. "Do you remember the day a few months ago, at Sam's dad's funeral?"

Hector nodded.

"I felt like shit that day, maybe I had the flu or something, I don't know. I felt so nauseous, so I went to the bathroom. I knew I wasn't anywhere near puking, and it just seemed so easy…" Amanda trailed off, her eyes filling with tears. Hector held her hand and squeezed it lightly. "I felt so much better afterwards, and I thought, 'why isn't everybody doing this?' but then I felt guilty. I knew it was wrong to make myself puke. But I kept doing it. It was like a force of nature. Binging and purging. And I've been doing that for the past 2 months. Except for the past few weeks, I haven't been making myself do anything. It's been happening by itself, and- and I'm really scared." She burst into tears. Hector sat next to her on the head and held her while she cried. She sobbed into his shoulder and he rubbed her back. "I just wish I never did it, and now I'm in trouble." Her voice was muffled. Hector nodded. "I know, Amanda. You'll get help. I promise I'll stick by you."

"Really?" She sniffed.

"Yes, really." He held her for a few more minutes until she fell asleep again, her breathing even and monitored. Then Hector left quietly.

A few weeks later, things were getting better. The night of the party, Hector had returned home after the hospital to find Chugs and her sisters passed out on his living room floor. He woke them up and sent them on their way. Sluts. Amanda was recovering having been released from the hospital a few days later. Hector had been sticking by her every step into her recovery from her eating disorder. As for Sam and Colt? Well, their 6 month anniversary was rapidly approaching, and Colt had something special planned.

Sam and Colt sat on the couch in her basement, watching some show that neither of them was paying attention to. Sam was concentrating on math homework in her lap, and Colt was playing games on his phone. Colt lowered the volume on the television and cleared his throat. "So Sammy,"

She smiled. "So Colt."

"I was wondering what you thought of doing for our 6 month-er."

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. Something special. I mean, 6 months is a long time in high school, right?"

Colt grinned. "Exactly. Which is why I wanted to bring something up."

Sam raised an eyebrow and closed her notebook. "What?"

Colt cleared his throat again and scratched above his left eyebrow. "So we've been going out for 6 months. Which like you said, is a long time. These 6 months have been the best of my life, I've never met another girl like you Sammy. I really, really like you. Love even. And I just want you to know that when you're ready to take things to the next level in this relationship, I'm going at whatever pace you want." He breathed out.

Sam looked confused for a second. "You mean like…sex?"

"Well, I mean-yeah," Colt stammered.

Sam smiled at his cuteness. " I mean, I've been thinking about it. And I think you're the right person, and I think it's the right time. So yes, I think I'm ready."

Colt's jaw dropped. "Wait, really?"

Sam laughed. "Yeah."

"Because if you aren't it's okay to say-"

"Colt," Sam stopped him. "I'm positive. Saturday, you plan the date, and at the end of the night I'll give you the best present you'll ever get."

"Love you, Sammy."

Sam was taken aback for a moment. Colt stared at her, a lazy half grin on his face. Sam found her voice and responded. "I love you too."

"Can't wait for Saturday."

"That makes two of us."


	8. Desicions, Desicions

It was lunchtime on Friday , and Taylor sat at the Center Table with Jessica, Maria, Amanda, Hector, Howard, Sam, and Colt. Taylor picked up her Diet Coke and took a long drink. As she was drinking, Jessica's eyes widened as she stared at her phone. "Tay, look!" She thrust the phone in Taylor's face, avoiding the bottle still attached to Taylor's mouth. Oh the phone screen was a video of Taylor lurching around the party after she had gotten high. Taylor was so startled, she spit Diet Coke right out of her mouth, and right into Colt's face, who was sitting across from her. He shut his eyes and rubbed his hand over his face. Taylor couldn't even apologize, she was so embarrassed. She grabbed Jessica's phone and ran out of the lunchroom, her eyes glued to the phone. The video was long, at least 5 minutes, and it featured Taylor running around Hector's house acting like a drunk idiot. it also featured 2 minutes of her truth or dare game, in which she admitted that she slept with a nightlight. Taylor squeezed her eyes shut and wished for it to be a dream. It wasn't.

After school that day, Colt told Sam he had to babysit his sister. His sister was really at ballet. He had made up that excuse so he wouldn't tell Sam where he was really going.

The inside of Rite Aid smelled like whiteout. Colt casually strolled through the aisles, looking for what he needed. He knew that tomorrow would be his and Sam's first sexual experience together. Her first time with anyone. He wanted to make sure he was prepared. While Colt had done it before, with his girlfriend sophomore year, she had provided the protection. Colt was clueless. He finally found an aisle called "Family Planning". Seems legit. He scanned the shelf until he found what he was looking for. Without bothering to look at the brand or price, Colt stuffed the box under his shirt until he made it to a cashier. He placed the box on the counter without bothering to look up until he heard "That'll be $8.00." Colt reached into his pocket and handed the cashier a folded up 10 dollar bill. "Keep the change," He insisted. Then he grabbed the box without a bag and left. As he walked to his motorcycle, which was parked outside, he thought, _that was surprisingly painless._

Sam sat at her kitchen table, trying to do her English homework. It was no use, her concentration wasn't there. She slammed the laptop shut and groaned. How could one be expected to think about homework at a time like this? Sam spun around in her chair. Then she took a deep breath. _Calm down, Sam. Don't get so riled up. _She opened her laptop again and went online. Sam hesitated for a moment, but typed into the search box:

Does having sex hurt for the first time?

A million hits came up, Sam scrolled through them for a minute, until she finally settled on the first hit. The first one was always the most accurate, right? It was a yahoo question and answer page. Sam scrolled through the answers, terrified of what she might find. She read a few answers, which were all pretty much the same. _Yes, for some girls it hurts. It'll be worth it. Popping a cherry? What is that?_ Sam closed the laptop for the second time and closed her eyes. She thought about everything. It wasn't as though she didn't want to do it with Colt. She did. It was just so nerve racking. The farthest Sam had gone with anyone was second base, though it wasn't something she advertised often. Sam knew that this wouldn't be Colt's first time, and that made her even more nervous. What if she did something wrong? God, everything was just so confusing. Sam bit her lip. She thought of Colt. Colt, who had showed up on her doorstep wearing a Santa Claus outfit after Sam had told him her family didn't really "do" Christmas. Colt, who would sit next to her on the couch and lean his head on her shoulder. Colt, who was an amazing hair braider, and told Sam that he braided his sister's hair when their mom wasn't there to do it, even though he made Sam swear not to tell anyone. Colt, who told Sam that he had cried when he got his eyebrow ring. Colt was everything. He was _her_ everything. She didn't want to wait anymore. Sam wanted to feel as close to him as possible. She knew that he was the right guy. For the third time, Sam opened her computer and continued her English homework. But this time, she felt much more at ease with the situation.


	9. The Night

The next day, Saturday evening, Amanda and Hector sat on her living room floor. When it came down to it, Amanda and Hector were like little kids sometimes. Around them, were a jumbled up deck of Uno playing cards, a box of Oreos, and the supplies to make silly puddy. Amanda mixed the puddy with her hands and pulled out the finished product, slimy pink goo. She flicked some at Hector, who's jaw dropped as silly puddy landed on his left eyebrow. Amanda laughed out loud, and then screamed as Hector grabbed for the puddy and flicked some back at her. She got up and ran, still screaming with laughter as he chased her around the living room. Finally they both collapsed onto the couch, exhausted. Hector looked over at Amanda, who was catching her breath. "Never mess with the champ." Amanda threw a pillow at Hector's face. His phone buzzed in his pocket. "Hang on," He answered, and his face darkened. Amanda hugged the pillow to her chest tightly. "Okay, no problem. Bye." Hector hung up and sighed. "I'm sorry, I have to go Amanda. My sister's at the police station again."

Amanda wrinkled her nose. "Why?"

Hector rolled his eyes. "She got arrested. Again."

"Why don't I come with? I'm sure you could use the company."

Hector contemplated this for a minute. "Yeah, I guess."

And with that, their light playful mood had dissolved into thin air.

When they got to the police station, Hector pushed open the door and held it for Amanda. He had been silent the whole ride over. This kind of thing happened all the time. Hector's sister, Mona, got into trouble quite often, even though she was only 14. An officer pointed to a holding cell, where a girl was being held. Amanda let out a small gasp. It had been ages since she had seen Mona, and Amanda had forgotten how strikingly beautiful she was. She had striking blue eyes and light brown hair that reached halfway down her back. Her eyes were caked in makeup and her nose had a ring through it. Upon seeing Hector, the cop who was watching Mona stood up and opened the cell. He then undid her handcuffs. She dramatically rubbed her wrists. "Why not make them a little tighter next time?" She muttered. Hector rolled his eyes. "What'd you do this time?"

The cop spoke up. "Found this one in the old abandoned house on Maple Road, spray painting the walls with profanities."

Mona rolled her eyes. "Oh please, it's abandoned. No one cares if you graffiti an _abandoned _house."

Hector sighed. "Why did they call me? What about mom?"

Mona smirked. "Out of town, and since dad isn't legally allowed within 300 yards of me, looks like you're stuck with me until she gets back, which is in about a week."

Amanda had been silently observing the exchange. It was rare that Hector interacted with his sister, so it was always interesting. Hector's jaw dropped.

"Has this child been alone until now?"

Mona spoke up. "I can take care of myself. I've been alone for 4 days already and I'm fine."

"Obviously not. Now boy, you take your sister and don't let her out of your sight." The cop lightly shoved Mona towards Hector and Hector grabbed her arm. "Will do, officer. Thank you." He led Mona out of the station and Amanda followed.

That same evening, Colt was getting ready for his date with Sam. He leaned over his dresser, which reminded him of the day of Sam's dad's funeral so many months ago. Sam always made him nervous, but today it was for a different reason.

Sam sat on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest. She had been ready for her date for hours, and now she was lost in thought. Tonight was the night. The night she was giving herself up to Colt.

Colt opened his history textbook to page 904, the day he and Sam started going out, and found the foil packages he had antagonized over not so long ago. He didn't want to risk having his mom or sister find them, so he hid them in a really obscure place. He slid them into his pocket.

Sam abruptly stood up and paced around the room. She didn't know why she was acting this way. She loved Colt, and had no doubt that he was the one she wanted to be with. He was her rock, her everything. No second thoughts. It was just the idea in general that made Sam nervous. It would have been that way with anyone, but with Colt, it was a tiny bit better.

Colt looked at his digital clock. Almost 7. Showtime. He went outside to his motorcycle and revved the engine. Then he sped off to Sam's house.

A few minutes later, after some more pacing, Sam heard loud noises outside. Colt. She grabbed her purse and ran down the steps. Her mom sat in the living room, reading. "Bye mom, I'm going out with Colt, okay?" Sam's mom nodded and went back to her book. Sam rolled her eyes as she made her way to the door. She might feel worse about lying to her mom's face if her mom even cared about her life at all. Sam jogged outside and hopped onto the back of Colt's bike, wrapping her arms around his waist like she always did. He turned around slightly and grinned at her. She smiled back and winked, and they drove off to the beach.

For the majority of the evening, Colt and Sam didn't even talk about what was to come of later, even though they both knew it was on each other's minds. They talked about memories, crazy things they had done, their friends, gossip, music, pretty much anything. They ate what Colt had packed, which were his and Sam's favorite sandwiches from Subways. Ham and Cheese, and Meatball Sub. Afterwards, as the sun was setting, they lay next to each other on the blanket looking at the sky. It was silent for a few minutes, until Colt spoke first.

"So…this is it."

Sam turned over slightly. "Yeah, I guess it is. And I'm totally ready."

Colt thought for a minute. "Really?" He turned over onto his side completely and leaned on his arm.

Sam sighed. "No. I'm nervous as shit."

"Why, Sammy?"

"I don't know!" Sam turned onto her stomach and lay her head down. "It's just so new to me, I don't know what to think."

Colt bit his lip. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"No! I'm really not, I'm just like, scared. I don't know what I'm doing. You do."

"That's the whole point Sammy," Colt lowered himself so he was at eye level with her. "You're not supposed to be prepared or smart about any of this stuff. No one is. Look Sam, I've always been here for you. I was here for you when your dad died, and I was here when Zoe moved out and left you guys, and I'll be here when other crazy bad shit happens. Because I really care about you. A lot. And I'm here to protect you and guide you through this crazy-as-shit experience called 'losing your virginity'. Trust me, Sam. Please." Colt breathed out and let out a shaky laugh, like he couldn't believe he had said something so sentimental.

Sam stayed quiet for a minute. "Okay."

Colt raised his eyebrows. "You sure you're good with this?"

Sam nodded. "With you? Absolutely."

Her and Colt stared at each other for a minute until they both leaned in and kissed. The kiss deepened until Sam pulled away. "You brought something, right?"

Colt patted his pocket. "My 8 dollar insurance policy." He grinned.

Sam leaned in again and they continued kissing, falling back on the blanket, and ripping each other's clothes away.


	10. Figuring Things Out

Taylor sat across from Jessica in a booth at the local diner. Jessica stared intently at Taylor and stirred her ice tea without looking at it. Taylor was leaning back on the vinyl seat with her arms crossed, staring right back. Finally Jessica broke her gaze. Taylor smiled. She never did lose stare-offs. Jessica spoke.

"So can you tell me why exactly, you're here with me on a Saturday night instead of out, partying?"

"Simple. I'm never 'partying' again. Ever."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Come on, Tay. That's a little extreme. It's just a dumb video. Everyone gets wasted at parties, not a big deal."

"But someone videod _me_ getting wasted at a party. Someone has it out for me. And besides, now everyone thinks I'm a drunk party girl, which I'm _not!"_ Taylor pouted.

"No one thinks you're a drunk party girl."

"Oh yeah?" Taylor took out her phone and found the video on Facebook. She scrolled down to the comments. "Look."

What a bitch.

Disgusting.

Does she have no respect for herself?

Dude, I totally boned her that night!

Yo same bro!

Taylor made a face and put her phone away. "Now my reputation is shit and there's nothing I can do about it. I need to find out who posted this."

Jess took a sip of her drink and let her eyes drift away.

Taylor frowned. "What?"

Jessica finished sipping. "Oh nothing, just, you know…good luck."

Mona strolled into Hector's house, with Amanda after her, followed by an annoyed Hector, who slammed the door shut.

"Nice digs, bro. Who's paying for this place? 'Cause I_ know_ your lazy ass didn't get a job." Mona dropped her coat onto the floor and fell onto the couch, putting her feet on the coffee table. Hector groaned and picked up her coat. Amanda stood awkwardly until she approached Hector. "Should I go?" She whispered.

Hector shook his head. "No, stay. I can't be alone with her."

Amanda shrugged and sat on the other side of the couch. Mona looked over at her and turned to face Amanda, probably thinking of inappropriate questions to ask her. Amanda swallowed nervously, as if she could sense it. "So, Amanda is it?" Mona smiled sweetly. Amanda nodded.

"How long have you and Hector been dating?"

"Um, about a year."

"Aw, that's so sweet. Have you guys sealed the deal?"

Amanda's jaw dropped. "Pardon?"

Mona grinned. "You know, _done it._"

Hector stepped in. "Okay, that's enough questioning, Mona."

She ignored him. "You're _so_ skinny, Amanda! How are you so skinny? You're gorgeous!"

Amanda bit her lip. Hector held his breath, silently cursing Mona. Finally Amanda spoke. "I, um, I have- bulimia. But I'm getting treatment."

"What a coincidence! So do I!"

"Mona!" Hector shouted.

"What? I do! All those yummy meals at juvie, I just couldn't help myself."

Amanda looked away.

Mona jumped up, still smiling. "Well if you'll excuse me, I'm starved. Gonna go make myself a big meal." She patted her flat stomach and strolled into the kitchen. Hector gave Amanda an apologetic look, and she just shrugged. Hector sighed. It was going to be a long week.

Sam opened her eyes and blinked. Her head was resting against Colt's bare chest. Oh yeah, the picnic blanket. Oh shit, they were naked. Sam reached for her undergarments and put them on. She lay back on the blanket and thought about what had just taken place. _I did it. I'm no longer a virgin. We did it. Me and Colt. Colt and me. Colt and I, Sam and Colt. We did it. We had sex. _Sam rested her eyes for a moment and compared what the articles had said to what had actually happened. Nothing that anyone in those articles had said could compare to actually being intimate with Colt. It was amazing, and foreign and strange and new and exciting. Everyone says that the first time is no good for a virgin, but Sam couldn't feel more different. Everything was imperfectly perfect. Sam looked over at Colt and watched him sleep peacefully. Then she looked up at the black sky and at the black water, the waves still crashing onto shore. At that moment, Colt's eyes fluttered open. When he saw Sam he smiled groggily. "Hey, beautiful," He reached for her and Sam snuggled up next to him. She turned onto her side to face him. For a while they just stared at each other, taking in each other's features. Sam noticed little things on Colt's face she had never seen before. The little dimple he had under his chin. The scar he had above his right eyebrow. His widow's peak. Finally Colt spoke again. "So how was it?"

Sam smiled. "Everything I could have ever imagined," She replied teasingly.

Colt grinned. " So no regrets?"

Sam shook her head. "None."

Colt leaned over and kissed her. "Perfect. I don't know about you, but I'm beat. See you in the morning?" Sam nodded, and with that, Colt closed his eyes again and fell asleep. Sam as well closed her eyes and thought about losing her virginity. It had been perfect. Colt had been so gentle and kind, and she hadn't felt nervous during it at all. Of course it had hurt, but despite Colt's concern, Sam had been totally fine. After a while, the feeling of pain was replaced by utter and fantastic pleasure, that she had never experienced before. Being with Colt had made the experience so worthwhile, and she was glad she had given him her virginity. She didn't regret a thing. And with that, Sam closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of her and Colt.


	11. Relization

That night, after an extremely humiliating unofficial Q&A session with Mona, Amanda went home. With all the chaos of her fainting, and her eating disorder, she never did actually get to look at pictures of Hector's so-called legendary party. Amanda surfed Facebook until finding someone's album of the party. Amanda smiled when she found pictures of herself before she had passed out, and frowned or rolled her eyes when she found pictures of Chugs, Adriana, or any of the sorority sisters. Amanda sped through the pics, until one caught her eye. It was Sam looking picture perfect as ever, standing with a guy who wasn't Colt. It wasn't an incriminating picture, they weren't holding hands or anything, but something about the guy was off putting. He had black, shaggy hair and green eyes, and a lazy half smile that was kind of knowing. _Oh shit, wait .That can't be, that's not-_

"Jason?" Amanda said his name out loud. There he was. At Hector's party. With Sam. Oh shit, Amanda was going to be sick. No she wasn't. She was. No she wasn't. She swallowed and contemplated what this could mean. _Was Jason, at Hector's party? _Obviously. _What was he doing there? How did he find out about it? Had he been watching Amanda? Why was he talking to Sam?_ Amanda thought about calling Sam to get to the bottom of it. She decided against it after looking at the clock. 11:28. If she wasn't mistaken, it was Sam and Colt's 6 month anniversary, and she guessed that their date most likely wasn't over yet.

Right Amanda was. Colt woke up still at night and looked over at Sam, who was sleeping, her breathing even. Colt smiled a little. Sam was so perfect. Despite his bad boy attitude that everyone at school except his close friends thought he had, he actually did care about her. More than anyone else. During their mattress dance, or more like blanket, Colt had been so concerned with making sure everything was perfect. When Sam had started crying right in the middle, Colt had been so sure everything was fucked up. Until she had shaken her head as an indication that everything was fine. Afterwards, he had thrown the condom into the ocean and wrapped his arms around Sam, who was still shaking from crying a little. Colt pleaded for her to tell him what was wrong, until she finally said,

"I want to get married."

_What?_

"No I mean I- but I—" She burst into tears.

"Shh, Sam." Colt rubbed her back. Sam shook her head as if to say she was fine, but the tears kept flowing. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "I'm just really emotional, okay? It's an emotional time for me."

Colt nodded.

"And I- I just wish my dad was here. I really miss him, and this just makes me think of all the things he's not going to be here for. My graduation, my wedding, my kids being born, and I just want him to come back."

"Sam, I know you miss your dad. I can't even imagine what it's like to have someone that close to you die. I know my dad's not there for me, but at least he's still here physically. I know how hard it's been for you, and I'm here for you. No matter how long it takes, I'll always be here for you. I love you."

"I love you too. So, so much. And I'm sorry, it's just my hormones are making me a wreck." Sam wiped at her eyes again and rested her head against Colt's shoulder. He pushed her hair off her face and looked down at her upside down. He stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes, making Sam laugh. She abruptly stopped laughing. "How did we start going out?" Colt, startled by the question, let his jaw drop slightly. "I um, okay so I was dating that girl Tabitha last summer—"

"Oh god, Tabitha. That girl is crazy."

"Yeah tell me about it. So I was dating her and when school started we were best friends of course,"

"Of course!"

"And she was being really clingy and annoying and shit, so we started hanging out more, and I realized you were way cooler than her and hotter too, so I broke up with her, and asked you out. And you said no."

"I'm sorry! I didn't want to ruin our friendship!" Sam laughed. "Good thing you were persistent."

Colt smiled. "Yeah, good thing. So I kept pestering you until one day, a Tuesday I think it was, on September 4th, I asked you again and you FINALLY gave in and said you would go on a date with me. So I turned on the charm and you loved me from date 1. The being to the best relationship, ever."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Well you're not modest."

Colt grinned. "All part of the charm, baby. You know you love me."

"Yeah, I do. A lot." Sam leaned down so they were forehead-to-forehead. "I'm happy it was you and not some other guy."

"Me too, Sammy. Me too." They kissed.


	12. Consequences and Mistakes

The second it had seemed like an acceptable time to make a call, Amanda had called Sam and pressed for details on what had happened with Jason. Sam had said that they talked for a few minutes and exchanged numbers, but hadn't spoken since then. Amanda convinced Sam to delete his information, much to Sam's reluctance. Amanda had let her guard down after that. Jason hadn't shown up at any other Centerscore events, so for now Amanda kept cool.

A few weeks had passed since that eventful Saturday night, and it was another normal Wednesday in school. Sam sat in bio class as Mrs. Dewey droned on about the digestive system. Sam tapped her pen against her notebook, bored out of her mind.

"Samantha Davis, if I could trouble you for one second of your precious attention?"

Sam looked up from her notebook, and all eyes in the room were on her. "Pardon me?"

"I'd appreciate it if you would pay attention in class like everyone else, and not wander off in your own world like you have ADHD or something."

Sam's jaw dropped. "Okay first of all, I _do_ have ADHD, and for the record, that's so extremely inappropriate and offensive. Second, you don't get to talk to students that way. If your boring lesson was worth paying attention to, I'd be doing it, okay? I budget my time very appropriately." Sam flicked her pen and it hit the white wall and splattered purple ink everywhere. "Oops."

Mrs. Dewey fumed. "Perhaps you should go see Principal Shapiro, Samantha."

Sam stood up. "Sure, but first I think I'll make a few quick stops." Sam gave a tight smile and made her way down the aisles. When she passed Colt, she gave his shaggy head a little rub, until she made it to the door. She swung it open, stepped outside and slammed it closed, hard enough that she could see Mrs. Dewey cringe through the 1 way glass.

"Samantha, why are you here?" Sam sat across from Principal Shapiro in her office. Sam rested her head against the back of the seat.

Sam shrugged. "Beats me."

Shapiro sighed. "Sam, this is the third time in the past week you've been called to my office. Why are you being so disrespectful to your teachers?"

"I'm not! They're being disrespectful to me!"

Shapiro opened her mouth to speak just as the final bell rang, indicating that school was over. "Sam, watch the behavior issues. I don't want to call your mother in for a conference."

Sam stood up and hitched her bag up on her shoulder. "You're right, principal Shapiro. You really don't." With that, Sam turned and left her office, heading for her locker. When she got there, she found Colt waiting for her. "Hey, what happened?"

Sam rolled her eyes as she opened her locker. "Nothing interesting. Same fucking old." She put 2 books in and took out 1, stuffing it into her bag. She slammed her locker shut and started walking to the exit, with Colt on her right. "So where do you want to go?"

"Home."

"You want to go home?"

"Yep."

Colt raised his eyebrows. "By yourself?"

Sam stopped walking. She looked up at Colt with a pleading look on her face. "Please don't get offended. I just want to hang out by myself okay? I don't feel great."

Colt studied her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine I just," Sam ran a hang through her hair. "I just have to do something alone, okay? I'll call you later." And she walked away, leaving Colt standing there in the hallway.

Half an hour later, Sam paced across her room, contemplating options. On her desk, sat a little pink box. On her bed, sat Jessica. Jess was the only person she could turn to in a situation like this. Jess leaned forward and spoke first.

"How did this happen, Sam?"

Sam stopped pacing and gave Jessica an annoyed look. "How does it usually happen, Jess? Are you retarded?"

Jessica shrugged. "Did you guys not use protection?"

Sam flopped onto a chair. "No we did, I just- I don't know maybe it broke or something?"

"Or not. Maybe you're just PMSing. Only one way to find out." Jess indicated the box.

Sam looked at it and bit her lip. "I'd rather live in denial. I don't want to think about the possibility of me being…."

"Pregnant."

"Yeah, that. I don't want to be the scandal of Centerscore."

"You'd get used to it. I did." A year and a half ago, Jessica had been the talk of the school when she got pregnant by some guy at Spartan Academy. She'd walked around the halls of Centerscore for 8 and a half months shamelessly, as her stomach grew and grew. After she had the baby, she gave it up for adoption. Then she continued her life as if nothing had happened.

"Yeah but it's Colt I'm most concerned about."

Jessica thought about this. "How do you think he'd react?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know…it could go either way. I never thought I'd actually have to find out. At least until like 10 years from now."

Jess raised her eyebrows. "It's your call, honey."

Sam looked down, and then at the box. She stood up and grabbed it, studying the instructions. Then she walked to her bathroom, stepped inside and shut the door. Jessica sat on Sam's bed, not moving. About 10 minutes later, Sam emerged from the bathroom. She held an empty box in her hand, and a white stick. Her hair was a mess and her eyes bloodshot. Jessica knew. Sam knew that she knew. Sam dropped the stick and collapsed onto the chair. Jess calmly picked up the stick and read it. Two plus signs. Positive.


	13. What to do

Taylor, stuck at home with a cold, found this as the perfect opportunity to research her video. She re watched it again to see if she spotted any of her friends in the video as well. If she did, it meant that they hadn't been behind the camera. The first person Taylor spotted was Zach. What an idiot. Of course he hadn't taken the video. About another minute in, she saw Howard, Hector, and Colt doing keg stands. Also idiots, with no reason to intentionally spite her. Jessica came next, dragging Taylor into a room where Maria, Jacob, Jill, Nicole, Hannah, and a bunch of other people were playing truth or dare. The door closed, and whoever held the camera directed it back to the living room, where Sam stood, looking bored and awkward. Taylor found no clues in the whole video to who the culprit could be. Great. Whoever did this was smart, and they really must have hated her.

Sam sat on her front steps, waiting for Colt to arrive. After Jessica had left and the numbness had gone away, Sam calmed down. She put on her most relaxed voice and called Colt, apologizing for being a bitch and inviting him to come over. He sounded so happy. Sam really didn't want to be the one to plunge a knife into his heart. When he rode up to her house and parked his motorcycle out front, Sam's breath hitched. He looked so different than he had a few hours ago. He approached her and Sam held her breath, wondering if somehow he could already tell. He couldn't. She stood up and kissed him for a long few minutes. Colt must have taken this to mean that she wanted something more, but when he started running his hands down her back, she pulled away. "Stop, Colt. Just come." She took his hand and led him upstairs to her room. Sam gestured to her bed and Colt sat. She stood in front of him and didn't talk for a minute. A look of confusion washed across his face. "So, what do you need to tell me, Sammy?"

Sam took a deep breath. _Prepare him for this._ "So I've come to realize that for the past few weeks, I've been pretty irritable and rude."

Colt shrugged. "No big deal."

Sam felt like every word she was saying was a knife plunging into Colt. "And, I've also been feeling pretty shitty. I thought I had the flu or something, but I don't."

The confusion on Colt's face was replaced by concern. "Where is this going?"

Sam squeezed her eyes shut. _Just say it, Sam._ "And I missed my period. Twice."

Silence.

"Colt, I'm pregnant."

Silence.

"Colt? I didn't find out until today, but I kind of thought about it for the past week or so because Jessica first introduced me to the possibility and I thought about it and realized it could be true to she came over today and I took the home pregnancy test and it was positive, and then I took 2 more and they were both positive, and I didn't know how you were going to react but she told me it's better to rip the bandage off and just say it so I did. I'm really, really sorry." Sam let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and panted. Colt still sat on her bed, not moving. He looked like he was trying to register everything Sam had just said. She stood there fearfully, waiting to see a reaction from Colt. Happiness, sadness, pure fury, just _something. _Finally he spoke.

"Sam, I just want you to know, this isn't your fault. If anything, it's my fault. I'm not mad at you."

"You're not?"

Colt shook his head. " You didn't do anything wrong. But I just don't get this. We used protection, you _saw_ me put on a condom."

"Condoms break."

"Yeah, but this one didn't. When I took it off it wasn't broken."

Sam shrugged "I don't know how it happened. But I'm pregnant."

Colt was quiet for a minute. "Well it's your body, so it's your choice. Whatever you want to do, I'll support you."

Sam nodded. She contemplated her options for a minute. "I think I'll see a doctor before I make any life changing decisions. You can come, I mean, if you want to. You don't have to."

Colt looked shocked. "Of course I want to! It's my kid too, isn't it?"

"I guess it is, isn't it?"

Sam looked down at her stomach. It looked exactly the same as always, but it was different now.


	14. Dealing with it

Sunday afternoon, Amanda received a text from Hector.

**can u cum over now? plz 33**

Amanda smiled but bit her lip. Of course she wanted to see Hector, but she didn't want to see Mona. Ever since Mona had told her about being pregnant last year yesterday, Amanda had felt uneasy. She wanted to tell Hector, but what place did she have? It was Mona's life, and not Amanda's business. Which is exactly why it was so unsettling for Amanda to be around Hector, keeping such a huge secret from him. Amanda reluctantly replied.

**u bet. c u in 10.**

True to her word, Amanda parked in Hector's driveway 10 minutes later and climbed the steps to his porch. She knocked, but then realized the door was opened. She stepped inside. "Hello? Anyone home?"

"In here!" The voice came from the den. Amanda went into the den and found Hector and Mona slumped on the couch, watching Keeping up with the Kardashians on the big screen TV. "Hey guys, I wanted to know if you-"

"How the hell are they are allowed to show this kind of shit on TV?"

Mona lifted a hand up. "Eh, they use those fuzzy things to make it seem like it's not there. That somehow makes it "okay"." Mona glanced at Amanda and gave her a "look", as if to say, 'now would be the perfect time to spill your guts and fuck up my life'. Amanda shook her head slightly and looked away from Mona. Hector patted the couch next to him. "Come sit, Panda." Amanda hopped over him and bounced onto the spot next to Hector on the couch. He put his arm around her and she leaned her head on his shoulder. Mona's secret wasn't going to ruin her relationship with Hector. Not by a longshot.

Taylor chatted with Jessica online. Despite the new drama with Sam being pregnant, she was still slightly hung up on the video of her. Jessica was someone she could trust.

**JesstheHotMess225: r u rlly still hung up on that vid? im telling u no 1 cares!**

**AllHaleTaylorVale: YES THEY DO! u saw those comments jess, ppl care**

**JesstheHotMess225: but they wont once ppl find out about sam**

Taylor knew that Jessica was right about that. When Sam's news went viral, no one would even remember Taylor's drunk party ways.

**AllHaleTaylorVale: OK mayb ur rite but i still want 2 know who took it ok?**

**JesstheHotMess225: i can respect that. let me know if u need help k?**

**AllHaleTaylorVale: u know it.**

**JesstheHotMess225: gtg luv ya ttyl :-***

**AllHaleTaylorVale: :-***********

Taylor closed her computer and sighed. Whoever had taken this video was going to be stopped, whether anyone was helping her or not.

"Monica Palmero?" A nurse called from the other side of a door. A blonde girl squealed and jumped up from her chair, holding her boyfriend's hand with one hand and resting the other one on her stomach, which had to be at least 8 months pregnant. They rushed through the door and Sam felt her throat close up. She and Colt sat in the waiting room of a family planning clinic. Sam had her knees up by her chin and sat in the fetal position, staring forward. Colt rested his head in his hands. All around them were screaming children with their parents, and young adults who were smiling and glowing and happy to be pregnant. Sam and Colt had to be the youngest ones there by far. After a few more minutes involving 3 more couples with huge stomachs being escorting inside and a screaming toddler who refused to leave the toy area, Sam was about kill someone.

"Samantha Davis." Her head shot up at hearing her name. She nudged Colt, who had been dozing off and was clearly disoriented.


	15. The Past isn't the Past

Sam stood up and followed the voice of the nurse, with Colt behind her. They were led to an examining room, where they were told to wait a few minutes. The nurse then exited and shut the door with a slam.

"Unbelievable. We wait for an hour and now we're waiting again?" Colt ran his hand through his hair and groaned.

"Would you just shut up?" Sam snapped. She spun around and faced the wall, refusing to look at him.

Colt rolled his eyes. "Oh, so now you don't want to look at me? Can't stand to look at your baby daddy? This is real, Sam. You're knocked up, okay? You're pregnant. Deal with it and stop acting like a bitch." He regretted the words the second they left his mouth. He had taken it too far, as usual. Sam stared at the wall, not speaking. Colt slowly moved his chair closer to where Sam sat on the table. "Look, Sammy, I didn't mean-"

"I know what you meant." Her voice sounded hoarse. Sam turned around and Colt was actually troubled by what he saw. She didn't look sad, though. Just really tired. "You're right. I don't deserve you. I've been the worst bitch and I've just been an awful girlfriend in general. You're absolutely right, like always."

Colt opened his mouth to speak, when the door swung open and an attractive doctor with frizzy red hair walked in. "Hello I'm Dr. Miller. Are you Samantha?"

Sam nodded. The Dr. nodded at Colt. "And you are-?"

"Colt."

"Lovely. So today is just going to be a routine checkup. Nothing major, just making sure everything's okay. So Samantha, please explain your situation."

Sam glanced at Colt and quickly looked away. "It's like this. We had sex once, and we used protection and everything. Everything was fine, until a few weeks later my friend brought up the idea. I took like 20 home pregnancy tests and they were all positive. That's it."

Dr. Miller took a few notes on a clipboard. "And this boy here, Colt. He's definitely the father, correct?"

Sam's jaw dropped at the question. "Of course! Why even ask that?"

"Standard procedure. I'll be right back for the sonogram." Sam bit her lip and Colt scooted closer to her. Sam looked up at him for a moment before looking away, but she didn't stop thinking about how much she wanted him to hold her hand.

_Flashback to the year before. Mona Alonzo reclines on a comfortable couch inside multimillion air Robert Cruz's Mansion. She puts her feet up as his father, Robert Sr. paces about. "Mona, darling, please. We're begging you. We'll pay you thousands. Just let us take care of this."_

_Mona waved her hand about. "I don't need money, Robert. But I don't think I want to take care of it. I think I'll bring home dear mother a surprise when she breaks down and comes back for me in about a year." Mona chuckled to herself. _

_Robert Sr. ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "Mona, we'll do anything. Anything you want. Please, you cannot have this child. It would ruin Robert Jr.'s reputation!"_

_Mona let out a harsh, bark-like laugh. "Do I look like I give a fuck about Robert Jr.'s reputation? I'll consider my options and let you know."_

"_But there's no time for options! It's going to be too late soon, if you're going to terminate it, do it now!" Robert Sr. roared._

_Mona's eyes widened, startled. She crossed her arms. "Robert, I don't enjoy being yelled at. Apologize to me now."_

_He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."_

"_Good. Now because you and your son alike are both such pathetic idiots, I'll get an abortion. You'll pay for it, as well as my fee of $5,000. Now I'm leaving. Call me to make arrangements." Mona got up and walked to the door. "And by the way," She called to Robert Sr. "Tell Robby that I want my underwear back."_

Mona squeezed her eyes shut and blinked rapidly. She hated that daydream, it came way too often. She actually hadn't been having the dreams and nightmares for months now, but when she told Amanda about her dilemma at boarding school, the dreams started coming frequently again.

She lay on the sofa in Hector's living room, surfing the internet on her laptop. A new email appeared in her AOL inbox.

_mona, _

_i know i said i would be back in a few weeks but there has been trouble with the company. i also know i said that weeks ago, and hector agreed to have you for a few more weeks, but i just cant make it back yet. ill be gone for at least another month. hector will understand._

_love,_

_mom_

Mona groaned and slammed the computer shut. When her mom had emailed her a few weeks ago, telling her that her stay at Hector's would be more than temporary, she had been livid. Hector was barely ever home, and when he was, he had friends over, or he and Amanda were upstairs in his room rocking the bed, or throwing an "epic" party. Mona pretty much still lived on her own, which was fine. She cooked her own food, went out whenever, and didn't care about anything, just like always. But Mona had been hoping for something different.

When Hector and Mona's parents first got divorced, it had been Mona's fault and everyone knew it. Their father would hit her. Hard sometimes. When their mom found out, she moved Hector and Mona out of the house, divorced him, and had a restraining order filed against him for Mona. Mona had been 10, and Hector was 13. Mom had never been the most available parent, so it was pretty much Hector and Mona. He took care of her and protected her. Then one day, while mom was out, as usual, Hector did something bad. He left Mona home alone to go out with a date, and they didn't come back for 24 hours. That had been Mona's first taste of life by herself. Mom came back while Hector was still gone, and she was outraged that he had left her alone for an entire day. When he came back, she screamed at him and he screamed right back, until she ran up to his room and started to throw his belongings out his bedroom window. Mona had hid under her bed. Hector packed a bag of stuff and left. He and his mom never did end up living together again. He crashed with different friends for the next 3 years, until he could afford his own place, which he bought. Hector and his mom had made up about a year after their fight, but she never offered to let him move back and he never asked to. When he turned 16 he became legally emancipated and his relationship with his mom became more of a "distant aunt or cousin." He still loved Mona, but they started seeing each other less frequently. When Mona turned 12, she started doing bad things. She hung out with bad crowds and got into drugs and alcohol. She distanced herself from her mom and didn't give a shit about Hector anymore. Mom sent her to a North Carolina boarding school, where she remained for a year before mom broke down and had her sent back. During that year, Mona had _many_ flings and relationships. One of them, with Robert Cruz, ended particularly badly. What luck of her to find out just weeks after their devastating breakup that she was pregnant with his baby. She had aborted it, taken $5,000 from his father, and never told anyone else. Except stupid Amanda.

Amanda had taken Mona to Sam's house, where all the cheerleaders were comforting her after finding out about her pregnancy. Mona had silently watched all the girls cheerfully try to "make a list" of Sam's options. Idiots. Mona felt the pain that she saw on Sam's face, and decided to come clean to Amanda. Ever since then, Amanda had been avoiding Mona's gaze, as if she couldn't decide whether or not to tell Hector. Mona knew that if Amanda told Hector, shit would happen. Obviously he wouldn't kick her out, that wasn't an option. She knew he would be disappointed. They were just starting to become "close-ish" again. They sometimes watched TV together. It was a thing. If it got fucked up, Mona would probably lock herself in a room from the outside.


End file.
